Blacksburg, VA -Tyrod Taylor threw for 197 yards and Ryan Williams ran for 120 as Virginia Tech whipped NC State 38-10 in Lane Stadium on Saturday. The Hokies dominated on both sides of the ball, improving to 8-3 overall, with a 5-2 mark in ACC play. NC State is now 4-7, and just 1-6 in the ACC.

Virginia Tech was very balanced offensively, running for 200 yards while passing for 197 for a total of 397 yards of total offense. The Hokies narrowly missed a few big plays downfield, otherwise the yardage could have been even higher.

Ryan Williams was held in check for most of the day, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry against an NC State defense that focused on stopping the run. However, he finished with 120 yards on 32 carries, and scored four rushing touchdowns. He now owns the Virginia Tech freshman rushing record for yardage (1,355) and touchdowns (15).

Tyrod Taylor had a steady day at quarterback, going 9-of-17 for 197 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. Taylor hit big plays down the field all day long, and Jarrett Boykin was the primary recipient. Boykin caught six passes for a career-high 164 yards, and he also had a receiving touchdown.

Bud Foster’s defense came to play, limiting the NC State offense to just 10 points and 259 yards of total offense. Coming into the game, the Wolfpack were averaging 32.6 points and 413.2 yards per game. Against the Hokies, they managed just 14 yards rushing. Tech had six sacks for the second consecutive week.

Cody Grimm had an amazing day in his final game in Lane Stadium. The senior whip linebacker had 8 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, forced three fumbles, recovered a fumble and had a quarterback hurry. Grimm forced a fumble on three of NC State’s first four plays from scrimmage, tying an NCAA record for forced fumbles in a game, and two of them were recovered by the Hokies in Wolfpack territory.

Thanks to Grimm’s playmaking ability, the Tech offense started their first two drives in NC State territory. As a result, the Hokies were able to jump out to a quick 10-0 lead.

Rashad Carmichael, Jason Worilds, Chris Drager and Mark Muncey also had sacks for the Hokies. Muncey, a senior walk-on mike linebacker, entered the game late and sacked NC State backup quarterback Mike Glennon on a zone blitz. Senior free safety Kam Chancellor also recorded an interception in his final home game.

Virginia Tech was able to control the clock by running the football. The Hokies held a 36:26 to 23:34 advantage in time of possession. The win marks the 12th consecutive season in which Tech has won eight or more games.

Recap

Virginia Tech won the coin toss for the first time this season, and they deferred their decision to the second half. NC State elected to receive the opening kickoff, and it didn’t take long for Cody Grimm and the Tech defense to get to work.

Bud Foster blitzed Grimm from the wide side of the field on the first play of the game, and Grimm nailed quarterback Russell Wilson from the blindside. The ball popped free and Grimm fell on it, setting the Tech offense up with a first down at the NC State 34.

The Hokies picked up two first downs, but couldn’t manage to punch it in the end zone. Tyrod Taylor’s third down pass to Dyrell Roberts from the 9 was just behind him, and Tech settled for a 26 yard field goal from senior placekicker Matt Waldron. With 11:50 remaining in the first quarter, the Hokies led 3-0.

NC State got the ball back, and had no gain on first down. Then Cody Grimm struck again. Wilson completed a pass in the left flat to wide receiver Darrell Davis, but Grimm was there to knock the ball free after an eight yard gain. Senior cornerback Stephan Virgil fell on the ball, giving the Hokies a first down at the NC State 25.

This time the Tech offense was able to take full advantage. A 10 yard run by Tyrod Taylor to the NC State 4 set up a Ryan Williams touchdown run, and the extra point by Waldron put Tech up 10-0 with 7:55 left in the first quarter.

The Cody Grimm nightmare continued for NC State on the first play of their next possession. Toney Baker took a handoff up the middle, but he was leveled by Grimm and dropped the football. Luckily for the Wolfpack, wide receiver Owen Spencer was there to jump on the ball and avert the disaster.

NC State took advantage of their good luck, driving 81 yards in 5:28 to score a touchdown. The big play came on third and 14 from the NC State 45. Russell Wilson hooked up with former Virginia Tech recruiting target Jay Smith on a 33 yard gain over Rashad Carmichael, who was in man coverage. That gave the Wolfpack a first down at the Tech 22, and two plays later Wilson hit Owen Spencer for a 20 yard post for a touchdown. Just like that, it was 10-7 Hokies with 2:20 remaining in the first quarter.

Tech got great field position again on their next drive, as true freshman tailback David Wilson returned the kickoff all the way to the NC State 49. The Hokies capitalized on a pass interference penalty on the Wolfpack, and then Tyrod Taylor connected with Jarrett Boykin for a 17 yard gain to the NC State 2. Two plays later, Ryan Williams took it in from one yard out, giving the Hokies a 17-7 lead with 14:42 left in the second quarter.

Both teams struck again before halftime, with NC State scoring a field goal and the Hokies adding another touchdown. The NC State field goal made the score 17-10, and it looked like Tech was in for a battle. Tyrod Taylor, Jarrett Boykin and Ryan Williams changed that on the next VT drive.

The drive began on the Tech 26, and it didn’t look good at first. The Hokies went backwards following a holding play on Blake DeChristopher, and they faced third and 18 from their own 18. However, NC State starts three freshmen in their defensive backfield, and Taylor and Boykin took advantage. Taylor hit his sophomore receiver for a 42 yard gain down the right sideline, and the Tech offense was back in business.

Two pass interference penalties on NC State, one on a critical third down, helped keep the drive alive for the Hokies. Ryan Williams eventually punched it on from one yard out, giving Tech a 24-10 lead with 37 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The Hokies extended their lead on the first drive of the third quarter. Taylor came out of the gates firing, hitting Boykin on a crossing pattern on the first play of the drive for a 36 yard gain. Tech even used Greg Boone in the Wild Turkey formation on this drive, and the big tight end picked up four yards on a carry.

The drive ended with perhaps the most impressive run of the season by Ryan Williams. Williams scored on a 19 yard run around the left side. NC State r-freshman safety Earl Wolff grabbed Williams by the jersey at the ten yard line, and Williams dragged him from there into the end zone. Wolff was on the ground, hanging on to Williams’ jersey with one hand as he skipped along the Lane Stadium turf.

The touchdown by Williams made the score 31-10 with 12:25 left in the third quarter, and the game was all but over.

Tech added another touchdown for good measure when Tyrod Taylor hooked up with Jarrett Boykin yet again late in the third quarter. This time Boykin beat true freshman cornerback Jarvis Byrd on the deep post, and Taylor led him into the end zone for a 38 yard touchdown. Waldron’s extra point made the score 38-10 with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

The Tech defense was dominant in the second half, and the Hokies spent the fourth quarter running out the clock. They had the ball for over 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, which ended any chance of an NC State comeback.

The Hokies return to action next Saturday when they face in-state rival Virginia in Charlottesville. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30pm on ESPN.

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